Flood control.



A. A. PRATT.

FLOOD CONTROL APPLICATlON FILED MAY 1'. I91].

1 ,268,770. Patented J une 4,1918. 2 SHEETFSHEET fly $5532 7 ways A A. PRATT.

FLOOD CONWGLv APPLICATION FILED MAY 7, \sn.

Patented June i, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

1123337 flpcnlflcafluaoi'lnttam mm. P t t 4; 191 Application mum 1,1217. swam. 12mm. T'Y bl all whom it may comm.

f ifi t r gd '35 t: a ch 1111 a. ano e m atesresi'ngct s -an e"es18 sinatethe lindlnv I Ahggls', m the county of 120:; Angeles and at the sides cf the oou rse.

l f. 0f c i fi inventedanew and In arranging the check dams, a point Fagin] Flood Control, of which the fcllowdown-su'eam is arbitrarily selected 7. 1p" is g specification. V

"ism" flanged, f iprimip object of my invention ,ia 19ml with the bottom 24d the dam 17. The g -t 'v de a check dam system of simple 55433121 aldqpf tha bedgf the water 'cnd eonstmbtion'by mean of wlnch conrsexslm outinasem'qso I ha .fficod waters may be oiled andmused -para1lc10oursa 25, 26 27, 28, Bland a.r' travel over a W" course. ranged at each side 0% the bedof the water Another ob'ectntmy-invefition is to cause comse, each piqmlicl course havin provxdchi-ital or (18 mm to mm; 115 ed therein a senes of check Claims, 83

oi? tocauscb aroion t c creation of and 26- eing sd arranged that the bcttoms 91:3 with depth of of such dam; M"Bl1b3fianti/8I1y :Ievel jwifl; nor, am! elevation cf the top of the dam 15in'the-centmlwater sshcd away and valuable cm at 21 inl gfiznfla, seoure i to posts 22', the

ahdcdVmtaLge g WiH the com-W525 and 26 1mm the bgttom ti) the drcviing, which are for film adjacent dam m tbs central in on} course. The courses 27 and 28 respectively course; and dash dam 33 toflfl' inclusive in so dam of a ati'eam show to 54 inclzgaivehasaghown in F 5, g chadi system arranged in. t 9 courses an are provi wi 213 a. longitudinal secticnal viewnn check {isms 511m 66 inclusive, and in all the Fig. 1. amines-such dam s are arranged as harem {3 i gdiagrumpatic sectional view on fgre dean wxth regpecc to the ceulgralwo ,tfl 1 g I cdursa, that 13, the .0? each succeed is apmwmotwe'fiew of a pcrtiun of 3am I: b 6 c Wm. V 5 is 11 dia cmmutic plan view 0f the cyst-cam therefi'om in the 8am course, the fincngqimnt 0255a dams. Y r dzfl'erent courses bmng scpcrctbd by Wire '6 is v. perspective view of the commesh, indicated at. 70 vyhlch 18 secured to pie' g v corner posts 22, there g one come post is 5 perspective view of the dams at eadl and of each dam, andaa many other ghbwn in Fig.6 underflood cpndtionn. posts 71 spa cad betwaon such anddgosta as 80" Fig, 1; 1; dsignates a hm Indicating may be necessary according to th mamas 10o between the respective dams and the width of the courses.

A cross section of the system when com-- pleted would appear as shown in Fig. l, the check dam in the bed of lhe stream n corn tral water course being indicated at i, and the dotted line 79. indicating the height or the top of the next check dam upstream, the bottom of such check dam being substan tially level with the top of the check dam 16. The dotted line 73 indicates the height or top of the check dam 18 and the dotted line 74 indicates the top oi the check dam 19. From an inspection of Fi 1, it iii evi dent that the top lines of: the c eck dams 33 and 34= are level with the top line of the dam 17 indicated by the dotted line '12, and that the tops of the check dams 4.5 and 46 are level with the top line of the check dam 18, indicated by the dotted line 73, and that the top lines of the dams 57' and 58 are level with the top line of the check dam 19.

The action of the water flowing over the check dam system as follows: Wa-ter flowing through the central course or the bed of the stream would carry debris against the check dam 20, and sand and other material would fill in back of the dam 20 until the bed of the stream would be level with the top of such dam 20, the Water being discharged over the dam 20 where it would next come in contact with the dam 19, and successively thereafter with dams 18, 17, 16 and 15.

These check dams spect to each other, and filling in up to their of the stream would finally take the following form. The rmrtion uwould be the lowest level of the stream, see Fig. 6; the por lions marked would all be oi the same level, the portions marked a would all be of the same level, the portions marked 05 would being arranged with re as heretofore described,

" likewise all be of the same level, and the portions marked a, the portions marked f and the portions marked g, would all be oi the same level, so that the water flowing down-stream over the system would take the following course: If the amount of water flowing over the central course was suf ficient to overflow, such overflow would flow overtho parallel courses at each side of the central course, as shown in Fig. 7, the water being indicated at w.

While I have indicated the natural bed of the central course of the at 11, as shown in F ig. 2, such bed. of the stream when it is filled up, and the system completed, would be indicated by the line 80, indicating where the material has filled in behind the dam 16, the line 81 indicating the top of the material filled in behind the dam 17, and the line 82 indicating the top levels, the surface line of the material filled in behind the dam. l5.

ln some instances, it may provide menus for prevcntin r the water us it. limw: over the check dam f om digging out the lJlLl of the stream din-oily thereunder, and in such cases 1 provide at wire extension extending down-stream from the bottom of the check dam, and 9. similar extension or apron 86 extending u -stream from the bottom of the check am, the apron 86 being connected by side extensions 87 to the wire at the sides of the course. The apron 86, together with the side ext/ensions 87 end the dam, constitute a basket open at the top and at the upstream end which may be filled with rocks and brush. The upstream edge of the basket is preferably coinic'cted by guy wires 90 with the tops of the posts in the dam, and the tops of the dams in the other courses not having baskets may he connected by guy Wires 91 with doadmen 92, as indicated in Fig. 3.

In Figs. 6 and 7 I have indicated the check dams as applied to large areas wherein the different sections, after being built up, may be Elaced under cultivation in such a manner t at land whiqhl under ordinary circumstances is of no velue, due to the contour and overflow, may be reclaimed and made of great value.

It is to be understood that my invention, in so far as the basket above referred to is concerned, is not limited to the exact location shown .in the drawings, but the wire extension 85 and the extension 86 may be located lower than that shown in the drawings, in which case debris and other ma.- Leriel would fill in above the basket to the final level of the stream. Neither do I limit the height of the basket as shown in the drawings, is the same may be made of various heights as requirements may make such changes necessary.

What I claim 1s:

1. A. flood control for water courses comprising a central course, a series of courses on each side of said central course, and a series of dams in each course, each dam in the respective courses having its to approximately level with the -bottom of the next dam upstream therefrom. in the same course, and each dam in the respective courses having its bottom substantially level with the top of the adjacent dam in the next inner course.

2. A flood control for water courses comprising a, central course, a series of courses on each side of said central course, a wire mesh. separating the respective courses, and a series of wire mesh check dams in each course, each dam in the respective courses, having its top approximately level with tho be desirable to bottom of the next dam up-stream themi 4. A wire mesh conduit open at mph and :irom in the same course. and at the top consisting of a horizontal 8. A check dam comprising a wire strueportion; a side portion extending upwardly ture consisting of a vertical portion, a horiat each side of the horizontal portlon; and

i sontally extendin' imp-stream portion, side a wire mesh division wall extending be- 15 extensions on said orizontal portion extendtween the side walls intermediate its length. ingnp-stream from the vertlcal portion, a In testimonghereof I have hereuntoset horizontally extending down stream portion my hand at s Angeles, California, this and side extensions on said horizontally ex- 27th day of April, 1917.

: tending down stream portion. ALVARO A. PRATT. 

